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The Idea Behind News Search

Are you tired of having to watch the local news every night to find out whats happening in the world? Do you want to be able to find out what happened when it actually happens? Well that's where the numerous news search engines that exist come in, they will enable you to maximize your information and minimize your effort.

Google News Search

Searching for news is much different than searching for information on the web. News updates so frequently that if you don't define you query correctly or use advanced search techniques, you will be left with results that aren't accurate (just ask United Airlines). The beauty of browsing sites like Google Business News is that you receive information from a variety of resources (CNN Money, BBC News, the Associated Press) and aren't just left with the biased opinion of one particular news station/website/publication. Also, a really cool feature of the Google News is the personalized option on the right side of the homepage. Rather than visiting Fox News everyday (for a more conservative point of view), you could view your customized Google News homepage to get a diverse view of news in 8 categories.

Combining RSS Feeds and News

Lets take this idea of news search one step further. Instead of visiting the Google News homepage on a daily basis to get a range of news from various categories, why don't we utilize the our RSS feeds? In my previous blog, I preached the benefits of RSS feeds and why everyone should have one. Well now I'm going to continue to praise RSS feeds with their ability to add search queries from news searches to an RSS account. For my term project, I was able to define a search query on Google News and refine the options to retrieve only results posted in the past day. Now each time new results are added to this query, the link is sent to my bloglines account. Easy as 1, 2, 3.

Google Archives

One of the most fascinating features of the whole "Google News" server is the ability to search news archives. You probably ask, if he has been obsessing about finding the most current information as quickly as possible, why do past news articles matter? Well the reason is because the ability to search for news articles 10, 40, or even 100 years ago adds a new element to the concept of historical research. How many times have you thought to yourself, wow I wish I was around when…. the U.S.A hockey team won the miracle on ice in the 1980 Olympics? Or how about when John F. Kennedy was assassinated? Now you can with Google News Archive Search. Google has been transforming old newspaper microfiche into amazing resources available for anyone.

And just to reminisce about the glory days of Michigan Football, do you remember the 1998 Rose Bowl? Well here's a picture to jolt those memories (Charles Woodson doing what he does best).

Summary

Google has revolutionized the way to find news (both current and past). Obviously, there are other news search engines (such as AltaVista, Yahoo! News, LexisNexis), but I chose to focus on Google because of their popularity and familiarity with most of the world. When doing any sort of research project, the ability to subscribe to RSS new queries is so effective its almost like cheating. Google Archive makes any interesting news article in the past now accessible at the tip of your fingers. Lastly, remember to utilize the advance search features to maximize your news and minimize your effort (and to avoid reporting false news).